An Insomniac's Resolution

Many sleep to dream. But I dream to sleep. In other words, I am insomniac.

I have a dream. One day, surely I will get cured of this ailment.

Just for information. Dreams are a manifestation of various emotions like desire, anger, affection, temptation, etc. that we nurture. Mahatma Buddha, it is said, had conquered all such feelings and hence never used to get dreams. And, he could do with only two hours of sleep a day and still feel fresh.

Even I, too, am a light sleeper but I don’t feel fresh always.

You won’t believe it. Mine is such a worse case of insomnia that I don’t even get dreams in which I am sleeping. Even in dreams, I am suffering from insomnia.

In my case, deep slumber is a state where even a small nudge or a noise can wake me up. Then, you can imagine what a light nap could be!

No wonder, I, as a resource person, get hired, by organizers of summer camps, picnics, etc., for taking care of the kids. They know that I hardly sleep and if an additional responsibility like looking after kids is given, I become further alert and rarely blink!

In the 15 years before the pandemic went on a global rampage, I have handled more than 100,000 kids, of class three and above, from 290 schools, at / for birthday parties, weddings, apartments, summer camps, informal gatherings, exhibitions, expos and kids’ and families’ day celebrations by corporate entities.

I have been bombarded with opinions, suggestions and advices.

Somebody advised me to count sheep. I tried but ended up counting natural numbers.

A friend suggested drinking plenty of water. It turned out to be a case of solution being worse than the problem. Whatever little sleep I managed to get was also cut short by frequent visits to the restroom.

There was this suggestion that reading a book would lull you to sleep. I only got bored of reading and used the book as an additional pillow. But sleep eluded me.

I tried exhausting my body through physical activities to an extreme extent of hitting the bed. I hit the bed but couldn’t go to sleep.

When my body needs rest, my mind is still active and I can’t sleep.

When my mind is tired, my body is still full of zip and I keep tossing around in the bed.

Many times I have envied those who are transported to the dreamland no sooner than they lie down. I envy all those lucky Rip Van Winkles. I envy those who sleep like a log.

Mark my words. I am not the one who gives up on his dreams that easily.

I shall surely realize my dream to dream.

Doctors advise a minimum of six hours of sleep a day. Mathematicians talk of averages. A concoction of these two theories works out to 42 hours a week. So, rightly or wrongly, I have made an auto-suggestion of getting 42 hours of sleep in a week, not necessarily six hours every day.

One day, I may sleep for just two hours, another day, four, none on the third day. It doesn’t matter as long as weekly total works out to 42 hours.

I will try the above idea. If it works out, nothing like it.

Otherwise, I have one desperate solution. Or, you may call it a resolution.

Just for myself, I will include an additional condition to the submission guidelines of Vocal Challenges.

Till I get six hours of sleep a day, I am not eligible to enter my story to the challenge.

See, in a month or so, I should have been cured of insomnia!